A. Field of Invention
The present invention is in the field of gravity powered model cars, more particularly, new ways to increase and or distribute weight for the purpose of enhancing the cars performance.
B. Description of the Related Art
Pinewood Derby type cars are well-known to be used for teaching craft and social skills to various people, including but not limited to youth groups. In a typical youth group scenario challenge, a couple consisting of a child and adult are provided with a kit that contains a block of wood measuring about 1.75 in×7 in×1.25 in, four (4) plastic injection molded wheels having about 1.18 in diameter, and four (4) nails and or fasteners to be used as axles. In practice, the couple is challenged to fashion and or carve the block of wood into a body of a car and adorn it for a gravity powered race down a track, against the other like competitors. The track starts about 48 in off the ground at a decline of about 27 degrees. The track will typically have a curved transition after which it will run flat for about 35 ft.
The rules that control the aforementioned challenge typically requires the overall weight of a car to be equal to or less than about 5 oz. As a result, during the process of building a car, dense material is sometimes used to achieve maximum speed of a car, based on the maximum weight allowed. In particular, the addition of weight such as in the form of tungsten, lead, steel, zinc, glass, ceramic, plastic and or like material of varying densities, increases the potential energy of the car.
It is well-known that the further back on the car the weight is placed, the more potential energy is available. As a result, builders aiming to give their car the maximum amount of potential energy will typically place weight behind the rear axles. In order to off-set any instability as a result of said weight, additional weight is also added in front of the rear axles, which, for example, prevents a car from oscillating side to side down the track. In this sense, a well-built car according to what is currently known and as subject to the aforementioned restrictions, will typically have about 2 oz of additional weight in the form of cubes behind the rear axles and 2 oz in front of the rear axles. All in all, a total of about 24 cubes of additional weight (of about 0.16 oz each) sit in cavities about the rear axles—cavities of which the builder has carved into the body of the car.
While the current known distribution of weight allows for a stable car that preserves energy, the setup does not allow a car to maximize its potential based on the aspects of the model which can be utilized. Accordingly, there is a need in the art of Pinewood Derby type cars to introduce a new weight distribution system that provides for maximum potential.